But could you prove to the satisfaction of a U.S. immigration official that your abilities in the sciences, arts, education, business, or athletics, are so extraordinary that they’ve been publicly recognized, and resulted in a period of sustained national or international acclaim?

The payoff is big. Noncitizens of the U.S. who can prove this may qualify for a green card as a priority worker (EB-1A), which doesn’t even require an employer to petition for (sponsor) you.

Just satisfying the documentation requirements calls for extraordinary persistence and patience, however. Applicants need to come up with items like proof of box office success or high salary, letters of recommendation from professional peers, articles about their work published in the media or professional journals, evidence that they’ve been invited to judge others’ work, scholarly articles that they’ve written, and all-around proof that they’ve made original, unique contributions to their field.

Who actually succeeds at this? A mere two-thirds of the people who apply, unfortunately. NBC News gives us a picture of some of the successful applicants in its recent article, “To get green cards, these immigrants must prove they are extraordinary.” Naturally, NBC tried to profile some colorful characters, including a Harvard-trained scientist from India whose research into stem cells could lead to disease cures and a vintage-style burlesque performer from Canada whose “unique contributions” have helped turn this type of dance (in her description, somewhere between ballet and a striptease) into an art form.

Before you buy heels and feathers and sign up for dance classes, however, realize that “burlesque performer” is practically unheard of as a path to success in the EB-1 category. In fact, the fact that this applicant was approved is doubly impressive when you realize that the immigration service centers refuse to view or listen to electronic materials such as CDs or videos, and aren’t allowed to check websites such as YouTube. (It’s against their policy, according to an AILA/SCOPS Teleconference of March 27, 2013). I’m sure they didn’t even peek at her videos.

About Ilona Bray

The blog is written by Ilona Bray, a Nolo editor and the author of Becoming a U.S. Citizen. Her working background includes both solo immigration practice and working or volunteering as an immigration attorney with nonprofit organizations in Seattle and California.

Among Ilona’s most memorable volunteer experiences were passing out HIV+ literature in Guatemala, researching U.N programs as a legal intern for Amnesty International in London, and representing (pro bono) disabled, low-income people seeking Social Security benefits in Washington, DC.